In your Arms
by Vicia
Summary: Ichigo's beaten by thugs, and Renji has no choice but to let him die or save him. His choice...save him. Once enemies, er...still, slowly changes.
1. Bleeding in strong arms prt1

**_Renji ran and ran, from what, he didn't know._**

**_Turning his head, he noticed that some person with dark clothing was after him, hunting him down like a dog, the sword looking very similar to the Kurosaki Ichigo's._**

**_'W...why's this guy chasing me?!'_**

Brown eyes shot open as he sat up swiftly, panting heavily as he slapped his left hand onto his chest above his heart. Before his eyes even opened, he was struck there, the Zanpaku-to drove into his beating heart.

'Okay...calm down, Renji,' he thought, slowly standing, wobbling a bit. 'You haven't seen him before...and so...why're ya panicking?'

They only met when he and his taicho went to get Kuchiki Rukia. Which was hours ago, so he was freaking out about an orange haired teen who possibly wouldn't pass through the gate between that world and the next.

The redhead didn't know what to think or do, all he did know was that he needed to get dressed.

888

Ichigo lifted his head with a grunt. If he knew weird, his dream was worse than that, so messed up.

'Hn...it was that redhead again...' he thought bitterly as he looked down on his chest, scars from the attack still there, and what's worse, he had a huge wound in his shoulder, which was close to healing, but not completely. 'I'll have to ask Hat-and-Clogs about him...maybe he knows something.'

He stood, frowning as he shook his head.

"Geez...I need to concentrate on training, not that guy!" he scolded no one but himself, getting dressed and walking out of the house, not bothering to eat breakfast. "Nn...what was his name again...? Barakai? Barakai Renji? No, no, it wasn't that...Aberai? No..."

As he pondered, he didn't realize that someone was watching him with intense eyes.

'It's Abarai Renji, you idiot.' he thought bitterly, crossing his arms as he sat in the air, feeling so insulted. 'I don't understand why I had the urge to see him again...he's a guy...and so am I.'

"...hmm..." Ichigo stopped and looked down on the ground, holding onto the handle to his back pack tightly. "Was it...Abarai Renji?"

'Bingo, at last he remembered, geez...'

Ichigo felt himself fall forward, blinking and turning, tapping his hand to the ground and pushing himself back up from the assault seeing another punk that wanted to pick a fight.

'Hn? What're they doing?' Renji thought as he watched the two scuffle, then it multiplied to four against Ichigo, whom was clearly outnumbered. 'What the hell?!'

He was punched, beaten, and battered, left to die bleeding. How was he going to explain to everyone how his shirt got bloody?

Renji hopped down, bending down in front of him, placing a hand on his shoulder, the pale form lifting his head and his chocolate eyes widening. "R-Renji?!" he coughed, snapping into a sitting position but falling against the redhead.

"You alright?"

"Nn..." he complied, grabbing at the dark fabric to the shihakusho. "Ya almost kill me...and now you're worried...tch."

"You're bleeding, who wouldn't be?" he frowned. "I'm not your enemy right now."

He stood, lifting the bleeding fifteen year old, his chocolate eyes shut as he leaned his face against Renji's chest, dying from the loss of blood. Of course, Captain Unohana can heal him.

"Just hang in there."

'Why am I helping him?' he questioned himself. 'He needs my help. ...Point taken.'

**I changed what happened to Ichigo before he went back to the Soul Society to take Rukia back. Don't kill me.**


	2. Bleeding in strong arms prt2

He pulled out Zabimaru, thrusting it into the sky while he switched Ichigo onto his shoulder, his blood drenching his shihakuso as the doors slowly opened, sliding his Zanpaku-to back into it's proper place, putting Ichigo back into his arms, walking through with narrowed eyes.

Byakuya was going to chew his ear off if he saw this. Abarai Renji, fukutaicho, helping a person who fought them when they had to get Rukia.

'Hopefully...I can get him to Unohana-taicho before Kuchiki-taicho sees me.'

He had a droplet of sweat as he waltzed through the Seiretei with the blood covered, dying form. This was making him real nervous. How was he going to ask Unohana-taicho to heal him. He'd have to have a good explaination, but then again, she owed him a favor for fending off rapid amounts of Hollows as she healed a beginner, who accidentally walked into the Hollows nesting grounds.

888

"Unohana-taicho!" Renji huffed, pushing through a crowd to get to her as everyone turned to stare at him, carrying a Ryoka, listed that, although he was possibly Renji's guest. "Unohana-taicho."

She turned, blinking once she saw him. "Renji?"

"...I need you to repay that..." he panted, looking down on the bleeding form. "Favor you owe me."

Ichigo's eyes slowly slid open, breathing heavily as he stared up at the scenery. He was in a place he didn't know about, and he could barely breathe.

"He's awake." Renji breathed, relieved, looking up at the now pale woman, finally realizing what Renji was going to request.

"He's supposed to die, Renji, take him back."

"You owe me a favor!! I was bedridden for five damn days after that fight! I did you a huge favor, woman!" he snapped, everyone around them gasping and staring at the redhead with wide eyes. "Repay me!"

She sighed, motioning him to follow her, so he did, following her to an alley.

"You must not tell anyone I did this. And next time he's close to death..." she spoke, eyeing Renji with strict eyes, which were usually soft. "Leave him."

Renji, reluctantly, nodded as he laid Ichigo down.

"Renji...why...can't I breathe?"

"I must hurry," the Fourth division taicho mumbled, releasing spirit energy into her fingers, pressing them into the wound as the lightly tanned Abarai watched intensively. "You better make sure you have a place for him to stay for the time being after I'm finished."

Renji blinked his brown eyes, wide. 'I didn't think of that.'

"Hey! That hurts, dammit!" Ichigo shouted as Unohana removed her fingers harshly, the wound sealing up. "Damn..."

"Can you breathe now, Ryoka?" she asked, looking at him with soft eyes. He blinked his chocolate eyes, looking down on himself once he sat up, flexing his fingers in his face. Then he nodded. "Good." She stood, walking away without another word.

Ichigo then clenched his right fist, plowing it into Renji's jaw, sending him falling back, shocked, reeling over the punch.

"What was that for?! I just saved your life!" he snarled, snapping into a sitting position, grabbing those wrists before Ichigo could do anything with them.

"Lemme go!" he growled, glaring into raging dark eyes. "I didn't ask for you to save me!"

"If I left you there, ya woulda died! You owe me!"

"I don't owe you anything!"

'For so that's what I believe...' the orange haired teen thought as he pulled away, scowling as he stood, the redhead releasing his wirsts but reclaiming one, pulling him along. 'Huh?'

"W-what are you doing?!" he cried, a faint blush on his face. "Let go!"

"Shut up. Byakuya-taicho will kill me if he sees you, now come with me quietly."

"Hell no!"

Renji sighed, turning and facing Ichigo, who didn't expect him to abruptly turn around to face him, crashed into the fukutaicho, rubbing his nose once he pulled away.

"Ouch."

"Listen here, kid, if he finds you, you're dead, simple as that, now stop yapping and follow me." he hissed.

'My head feels weird...' the eldest Kurosaki sibling thought. 'Kinda...foggy...I can't think...or see...' He fell against Renji, whom wasn't surprised. This is what happened to most Ryokas that enter the Seiretei and are healed by Unohana-taicho.

"Tch...better hurry and get him to my place." he scowled, and off he went. 


	3. Disguise prt1

Renji sighed deeply as he ducked every single suspicious look that was shot in their direction. They reached his place without being seen by a taicho, other than Unohana-taicho that healed the Ryoka. 'Alright...' he thought as he entered his room with another reluctant sigh, placing the orange haired boy on his bed. 'Now...how am I gonna hide him from Byakuya-taicho?'

Brown eyes slowly opened as the pale form groaned, lifting himself up slowly, turning his head to see Renji stand in the doorway, slipping his shihakuso top off with the under layer as well, tossing it to the side onto a simple couch. Cream colored, simple, and heavy. Blinking, Ichigo's eyes traced the patterns on the man's back, watching his muscles flex as he stretched. Eyes widening once he realized who he was looking at, jumping off the bed, but tripping once his foot tapped the ground, falling onto the ground with a loud thud.

"Huh?" The red haired Zabimaru possessor quirked a brow once he turned, seeing the smaller form nurse his head as he clamped his eyes shut, hunched over, cursing angrily. Shrugging his broad shoulders, he walked over, bending down to the young Kurosaki's level. "You all right, kid?"

"Stop calling me 'kid', it's Ichigo!" he snarled, opening his left eye slightly. "Anyway...where am I?"

"My place."

Silence fell over the High Schooler, scooting back a bit, wide eyes.

"What?!"

"Are you deaf?"

Ichigo shook his head, then stood, grabbing onto the bedpost for support, narrowing his eyes at the fukutaicho, growling as he shook his head, letting it die after a while. "No," he sighed, "but what I don't get is why you helped me. Why'd you help me anyway? It's not like I asked you too. And why'd you bring me here? Why didn't you send me home? Or at least take me there?"

"The answer to the first, simple," Renji frowned, getting up and crossing his arms, "you were dying, and it wasn't your time, got it? Secondly, I had too...otherwise Byakuya-taicho would kill you. Third...do you really wanna explain how you got bloody and not even wounded?"

"No...but..."

"Good, then you can stay here for today until I get back from doing paperwork."

He turned and started to walk off, yet stopped once he felt a pale hand grab onto his shoulder, looking at him with a lost look.

"What? Lil' Ichi want me to stay to keep him company?" he smirked, seeing his temporary roommate frown and a small blush form on his face, which made him quirk a brow. He looked to the side, blowing air out the side of his mouth. "I was kiddin' now what is it?"

"...I can't stay in once place too long, I'll go insane." he simply replied, making a chuckle surpass Renji's pale lips. "Take me with you, or show me a safe place to walk around in, I don't care. I need to be outside."

"Well," He scratched the back of his neck tenderly, cocking his head against the scratched site, "I could try to put you in disguise and say you're visiting me..."

Ichigo released Renji's shoulder, crossing his arms. 'I can't believe I debased myself to asking him to let me walk around...I hate this guy...' Renji walked off into the bathroom, Ichigo listening to clatters and clanks of glass and other things. 'He took Rukia away...so why do I feel...' The redhead reentered with a jar of paint and something that looked like hair pieces, plopping himself onto a couch, motioning the slender uniform wearing teen over. '...so safe around him? Not...worried?'

Walking over, he sat down, watching the taller male intensively as he set the hair piece container down, popping open the facial paint, lifting the brush from tucked behind his right ear, dipping it into the paint, sighing as he studied the youth's face intensively. 'Hmm...well, the design's starting to form...'

"All right, lean close,"

"What?!"

"So I can get a better reach, stupid." he scowled, Ichigo slowly scooting closer, watching as Renji moved the brush closer to his face, the paint cool against his skin as he looked away with a scowl. Chuckling, Renji began the design on Ichigo's face, steadily working his way around, scowling if he screwed up, and licking his thumb to wipe it away, since he didn't want to ruin it with a cloth. Feeling the saliva covered thumb hit his skin, Ichigo shuddered, but bit his lower lip. "Hn...almost done, last part...your back."

"What?! Why?!"

"I like my work being complete, and this paint won't smear once it dries, I can take it off at the end of the day, that's it. Tomorrow...if you're well enough, you're going home."

Ichigo hesitantly turned around, unbuttoning his shirt, letting it slip off his shoulders gracefully as he clenched his fists on his pants once Renji placed the black paint-covered brush against his back, working out a design, trying to remember most of what he did to the boy's face.


	4. Disguise prt2

"Almost done," he told the High schooler, gracefully ending the design with a swift swing of his brush, "All right...now...go get one of my uniforms and put it on."

Nodding, the orange haired teen stood and walked off, reaching up to his face to scratch at the paint until he heard Renji shout in protest.

"Don't scratch at it, you dumb ass!!"

Veering over his shoulder with a glare, he watched Renji pull out the black hair tie, pulling a sun setting red-like one out of the container, his hair falling over his shoulders as he shook his head slightly, tickled once one brushed against his skin. Turning, Ichigo walked off into the bedroom, walking over to the closet and opening it, rummaging through the man's things. Scowling once he lifted a uniform up.

"It'll be too big!" he called, hearing a groan as a response.

"What do you think?! I'm possibly three inches taller than ya!" Renji snapped once he entered the room, seeing Ichigo stand there with a scowl on his painted face, seeing that the fabric was dragging on the ground. "Well...I'm not one for sewing, but I think we need to bring that up a bit."

"Nah, it'll do." he sighed, dropping his orange haired head, lifting it after a while to see the red haired fukutaicho turned around, putting his hair up with a growl from irritation.

"Geez...how'll I explain how this kid suddenly shows up and then disappears a few days later?" he mumbled, gnawing on his lower lip, narrowing his eyes as he looked down on the ground below his white socked feet. "Gah, I just keep diggin' my own hole."

"Hey, Renji," the eldest Kurosaki sibling spoke, causing Renji to turn, noticing that Ichigo was now fully dressed and ready to go. "How long will it be until we get back?"

The pale form shrugged his broad shoulders. "How am I supposed to know? Byakuya-taicho keeps piling my desk with paperwork a lot." he groaned, grabbing his shihakuso top once they left the room, slipping it on with a regretful sigh. "We may be there for a long while."

Ichigo frowned, but trailed alongside the man, his arms crossed. 'Tch...I got to sit down in a chair for a long ass time, great.'

888

Byakuya looked up from where he sat, on a bench, seeing Renji and Ichigo walk past, throwing insults since the orange haired Kurosaki didn't want to sit down for hours on end. Quirking a brow, he stood, walking over to the two males with an emotionless look.

"What are you two doing?" he frowned.

"Kuchiki-taicho," Renji bit his lower lip, "my...um..."

"Cousin," Ichigo added.

"Yeah, we were just talking and...sortta lead to an argument. Anyway, I was just on my way to my office to fin-"

"Your 'cousin'?" Byakuya interrupted, taking a step towards the slightly short boy, compared to Renji, and eyed him up and down. "Hmm...what's your name, boy?"

"Ah...uh...K-Koishi, Abarai Koishi." he stammered, backing up a step, then narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I see..." He looked over at Renji, who looked nervous as well, both spiritual pressures proving it. "Why are you so worried, Abarai?" Hearing that made the redhead shake his head violently, stopping and frowning, a serious look on his face.

"I wasn't sure if you would appreciate me bringing Koishi with me to my office. He had nothing else to do, so I decided to bring him along." he explained, taking a breather once Byakuya nodded slowly, turning and walking away as Ichigo clenched his fists, waiting until the Captain was gone. "Whew...Ichigo, are you –"

"How can you let that arrogant guy push you around like that?!" he roared, narrowing his eyes to slits. "I get that he's superior to you, but...but c'mon! Even though the teachers outrank me...I don't let them...do what you just let him do!!!" He turned, facing the redhead with angered brown eyes. Sighing, Renji dropped his head.

"You wouldn't understand it, even if I tried to explain it," he sighed, raising his right hand and flicking Ichigo in the forehead, "your head's just too thick."

"W...well so's yours!!" Ichigo meekly countered. "And I just..."

"C'mon, I need to finish my paperwork," the Zabimaru possessor grumbled, placing an arm on Ichigo's shoulders, leading him to his office as he leaned his head against Ichigo's own, the eldest Kurosaki sibling quirking an orange brow.

"What the hell are you doing?" he growled.

"You're my 'cousin' right? So we need to act like it, is that a problem? Or do you want to die instead of living another day?"

"I'd rather live, thank you." the boy muttered, leaning back, hesitantly.

'I'm not used to these intimate touches...' he thought as he shut his eyes, shrugging as he opened his eyes, seeing Rangiku run over and smile at both of them. 'Not used to...' She wrapped her arms around the both of them, pulling them into an embrace, Ichigo, sadly, in the middle. Her gigantic breasts, rivaling Orihime's own, having Ichigo's handsome face smothered in them. 'Being around this type of society.'

"Bi gaph bruff!" he cried, Renji's ears perking up and looking at the orange haired woman with frightened reddish-brown orbs.

"R-Rangiku, Koishi can't breathe!" he cried as she blinked her eyes, quickly releasing the boy as he collapsed to the ground, gasping for air as he wrapped his left hand's fingers around his slender throat, his right hand planted on the ground. Dropping to his knees, Renji placed a hand on his back. "You okay, Ichigo?" he whispered, receiving a painful nod.

"Y...yeah...I'm good."

"Sorry, Koishi-chan," Rangiku gushed, lowering herself and stroking his hair. Looking into his brown orbs to see that they were half-lidded, still panting. "I forgot that I hug people a little too tight. I didn't even see you."

"I...it's fine..." Ichigo complied, slowly offering a smile. Looking over at Renji to see a worried look.

She looked up at Renji, standing and crossing her arms under her breasts. "I heard from Kuchiki-taicho that this is your cousin. Renji...he looks nothing like you."

"Yeah...um...his parents look way different from me...and...cousins aren't supposed to look the same, Rangiku." he sighed, slumping his shoulders, offering a hand to help the steadily breathing teenager up, which he claimed and was lifted. "Besides, aren't you supposed to go finish your paperwork as well?"

"Oh, I finished that a while ago," she chirped, smiling, looking at Ichigo and ruffling his spiky hair, "see you two later." With that she flash stepped out of there.

Looking at Ichigo with a concerned look, he noticed that the boy was slightly shaken by the events that happened so quickly. Scowling, he smacked the boy upside the head, rewarded with a snarl.

"What was that for?!" he shouted, glaring at his host. "Why'd you hit me you sunova-"

"Because you were beginning to annoy me with that shocked look." Renji scowled, turning his attention forward and walking off as a fuming Kurosaki chased after him, gritting his white teeth. "Anyway, behave while we're inside the office, I don't want anymore trouble. Ichigo shot him a look that screamed 'I know that already, stop reminding me of that shit!' Chuckling he looked forward once again.

'Who knows...maybe something good'll come out of this,' he thought with a devilish grin.

**--- Koishi- pebble**


	5. redo

redoing the story, making it better than what it is right now.

sorry for not putting anything in so long.

(will delete previous chapters when the replacements are finished)


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